Finding God's Peace During a Sleepless Night
It is now 1:51 in the morning, and I have given up on sleep. So, I came downstairs to meditate on Scripture and pray—my go-to habit when I can’t sleep. The time has been sweet, refreshing my spirit, and reveals so much about myself and God.
The Lord prompted me to share with you step by step, as it is happening, what my time looks like.
Sample Text: Isaiah 26
Supplies:
- Bible
- Writing Utensils (Highlighter, Pen)
- Online Commentary
- Journal
Meditating on Scripture
Steps:
- Read through the first time without notes
- Highlight verses that stood out to me
- Write out thoughts or questions in margins (can be done in a journal as well)
- I look up parts I don’t understand
- Look for context words (i.e., lots of battle terms)
- I pray for understanding throughout, for myself, and for you
- pray for rest
Perfect Peace=Perfect Trust(What I learn about God and myself in each verse)
- God’s Character/My Character
- Our Salvation/Strong City
- Open Gates/Faithful
- Keeps in Peace/Steadfast Mind
- Rock Eternal/Trust Lord Forever
- Humbles Prideful/The Oppressed Win
- Upright/Smooth Path
- His Judgment Teaches Righteousness/Student
- Worthy of Praise/Wait, Obey, Know Him
- Majesty/ Experience Evil Because of God’s Grace for All Mankind
- Authority/Protected From Enemies
- Establishes Peace/Open to His Good Things
- Lord and Ruler/ Honor His Name No Matter Who Rules Over Me
- Destroys Oppressor/Temporary Suffering
- Glorified Through the Righteous/Repent and Cry Out
- Disciplines the Wicked/I Suffer If I Do Not Do What is Right or Bring Salvation to Others
Questions for Reflection:
- What does “perfect peace” mean? vs. 3
- What is the significance of an upraised hand? vs. 11
Unless you are intimidated by the fact that I am looking up the Hebrew translation of the verses, realize this, I love languages. I am a word girl. We lose some depth of meaning through our English translation, so I try to look at the original. Understanding original meaning is a desire God placed in me as an aspect of my delight in scripture. Reading the original aids in my understanding. By no means do you have to do this, and I would caution anyone beginning to read scripture for the first time to keep it simple.
At the core, my basic reading pattern looks like this:
- Read
- Question
- Apply
Indeed, the Hebrew revealed something I didn’t see before. “Perfect peace” could literally be translated as “peace peace”. By doubling up, the writer implies this peace is complete, without a shadow of a doubt. It doesn’t come from man building security on high. It comes from God fortifying our lives, protecting us day and night, and trusting him to do what is right for us.
God has been chiseling away at the hard places in me where I lean on my own understanding and don’t trust Him and reveals over and over His trustworthiness.
Going back to my list again, what developed as I read is the following:
- Read—God’s actions my response (looked for in each verse)
- Question—What is the significance of God’s raised hand? (I figure a kingly gesture of judgment, like a gavel)
- Apply—God is trustworthy in my family’s health. Run to him for healing and direction. He will not let me down. Rest in his faithfulness.
He will not let you down. May your meditation on Scripture reveal the truth of God’s trustworthiness. May He bless and proclaim peace over you dear brothers and sisters.
(Adapted from https://turningthepageonsuicide.org/2019/03/21/peace-peace-rest…-in-gods-promise/
